Inflation gauge and valve assembly



Aug. 14, 1951 v o, SIMMONS 2,563,968

INFLATION GAUGE AND VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 15, 1949 I be attached to the .washer I5 by means of a spring I! Patented Aug. 14, 1951 INFLATION GAUGE AND VALVE ASSEMBLY Oliver H. Simmons, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Roy D. Buell, Chicago, 111.

Application March 15, 1949, Serial N 0. 81,580

3 Claims. 1 V The present invention relates to a valve and gauge assembly for regulating the flow of fluids under pressure and for determining the pressure level present in the system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, compact assembly for supplying air pressure to automobile inner tubes and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve and gauge assembly which may valve stem of an ordinary inner tube for supplying air pressure thereto, Without the necessity of removing the assembly from attachment with the valve stem in order to take readings of air pressure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve and gauge assembly which may be easily constructed from inexpensive parts.

Further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the attached sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the valve and gauge assembly of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II--II of Figure 1, showing the valve in closed position in the manner for taking a pressure reading;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 and shows the valve in its open position providing for the flow Of fluid under pressure through the valve assembly; and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawings:

Reference numeral I denotes a valve body having a substantially rectangular cross section. The interior of the valve body In is formed into a partition II having an aperture I2 extending therethrough. The partition II separates a low pressure chamber I3 from a high pressure chamber I4 within the interior of the valve body. Bottomed against the partition I I and surrounding the aperture I2 on the high pressure side of the partition II is a resilient washer I 5 which serves as a valve seat for a ball I6. The ball I6 is urged against the valve seat formed in the which acts against a nipple I8 in threaded engagement with one end of the valve body II]. The nipple I8 is formed into an adapter portion I9 having annular ridges at spaced positions along its longitudinal axis. The interior of the adapter portion I9 is provided with a passageway 2| which is 2 flared at its innermost end to receive the spring IT. The passageway 2i is supplied from a source of high fluid pressuresuch as an air compressor, by means of the hose 22 which is held snugly against the adapter I9 by virtue of its contact with the hose-engaging ridges 2!] and by the action of a crimped ferrule 23 at one end.

To unseat the ball I6 from the valve seat I5 and thus permit air from the high pressure zone I4 to flow through the valve assembly, a valve-actuating rod 2 3 is provided. The valve-actuating rod 2 1 is journaled in the partition I l and freely slidable within the aperture I2. The actuating rod 24 has a non-circular cross-section and a thickness somewhat less than the diameter of the aperture l2, so that when the rod 24 unseats the ball I6, air or other fluid may flow through the aperture I2 over the surfaces of the rod 24. The other end of the valve-actuating rod 24 is contacted by a tube 25 which is slidably mounted within a knurled control knob 26 which is in threaded engagement with the valve body In. An annular flange portion 2'! of the tube 25 is bottomed against the innermost portion of the control knob 26 such that rotation of the control knob 26 advances the tube 25 into the interior of the valve body Ill.

The tube 25 is formed into an adapter portion 28 having a series of spaced annular ridges 29 for engaging a flexible hose 3!]. The hose 30 is also provided with a crimped ferrule 3| which holds the hose 39 in snug engagement with the adapter portion 28 of the tube 25.

The tube 25 is provided with an inner passageway 32 which communicates with the low pressure chamber 63 by means of outwardly directed passageways 33 and 34. The forward end of the tube 25 is held in sealing relation in the valve body Ill by means of a slidable resilient plunger cup 35 which is held within a notch 36 formed in the tube 25.

At the opposite end of the flexible hose 30, which contains crimped ferrule 31, there is provided an adapter 33 having a series of annular ridges 39 for snugly engaging the hose 3!]. The adapter 38, containing an axial passageway 46, is formed into a terminal plunger 4| adapted to contact the core of a conventional valve stem to depress the same to permit the flow of fluid therethrough. A radial aperture 42 is provided within the plunger 4| to provide a path for fluid into the passage 40. A swivel nut 43 having threads 44 for engaging a standard valve stem is rotatably mounted about the neck of the adapter 38. A resilient gasket 45 is interposed between the swivel nut 43 and the adapter 38 to provide a seal against the leakage of fluid through the swivel nut 43.

In order to measure the fluid pressure in a system being supplied from the high pressure fluid source, a pressure gauge 46 is provided in the assembly. The pressure gauge 46 contains a face 41 having calibrations thereon, a case 48, and an inner body portion 49. The pressure gauge 46 is mounted to the assembly by means of a U-shaped strap 50 having outwardly extending flange 5] and 52 secured to the inner body portion 49 by means of screws 53 and 54. The interior of the gauge 4'1 has a port 55 which communicates with an inlet 56 to a pressure registering device such as a Bourdon tube in th gauge assembly. The port 55 registers with an aperture 51 which extends from the low pressure chamber l3 through the valve body if! to the outer surface of the valve body In. To provide sealing between the gauge 46 and the valve body 10, a resilient gasket 58 is provided between the face of the gauge 46 and the valve body M. The gasket 58 is compressed into a depression 59 in the uppermost face of the valve body IE3 and surrounds the passageway 51. The U-shaped strap 50 is also provided with an outwardly extending finger-like flange portion 69 which serves to limit the extent to which the knurled control knob 26 may be withdrawn from the valve body ID.

The operation of the device is as follows. The swivel nut 43 is threaded onto the valve stem of the device to be pressurized, causing the plunger 4| to depress the valve core. When it is desired to take a reading of the pressure inside the system, the knurled control knob 26 is turned in a counterclockwise direction until it abuts the finger-like flange 66. In this condition, the ball I6 is seated securely within the seat provided by the resilient washer l5 and consequently there is no flow of fluid from the high pressure chamber l4 into the low pressure chamber I3. This condition is illustrated in Figure 2. The fluid pressure is admitted by means of the aperture 42, the passageway 4B, hose 3E), passageway 32, into the low pressure zone l3 through the passageways 33 and 34. The pressure in the low pressure chamber 13 is transmitted by means of the passageway 5'! and port 56 to the pressure measurin means in the gauge 46.

After such a reading has been taken, the device can be connected to the high pressure line merely by rotating the control knob 26 in a clockwise direction. Such rotation causes the tube 25 to urge the valve actuating rod 24 against the ball 16, unseating the ball [6 from its seat against the resilient washer l5. This condition is best illustrated in Figure 3. The high pressure fluid then flows through the connecting hose 22, through the passage 21, into the high pressure chamber l4, through the aperture l2 over the surfaces of the actuating rod 24 into the low pressure chamber [3. The fluid then enters the passageways 33 and 34 which communicate with the passageway 40, and into the system to be pressurized through the aperture 42.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have herein provided a valve and gauge assembly which is simple and compact in construction and which permits pressure readings to be taken at desired intervals without the necessity of disconnecting the pressurizing line.

I claim as my invention:

1. -A valve and gauge assembly comprising a hollow bar having an apertured partition therein for defining a low pressure chamber and a high pressure chamber at either side thereof, a resilient washer bottomed on one side of said partition and surroundin the aperture to form a valve seat, a ball adapted to be seated against said valve seat, a spring urging said ball against said seat, a nipple threaded into one end of said bar against said spring urging said ball against said seat and having a passage therethrough for connecting said high pressure chamber with a source of fluid pressure, a control knob threaded into the other end of said bar, a finger-like member secured to said bar for limiting the extent to which said control knob may be withdrawn from said bar, a tube having a flange bottomed against said control knob and having a passage therein communicatin with said low pressure zone, an actuating rod extending through the aperture of said partition in contact with said tube for unseating said ball when said control knob is threaded into said bar, a passageway extending from said low pressure zone through said body portion, a resilient seal ring surrounding said passageway, and pressure measuring means secured to said bar engagin said seal ring and having an entrance port registerin with said passageway to measure fluid pressure in said low pressure chamber.

A valve and gauge assembly adapted for use in inflating tires which comprises a hollow bar having fiat exterior sides and an apertured partition therein inwardly from both ends thereof, a resilient washer bottomed on one side of said partition and surrounding the aperture to form a valve seat, a ball adapted to be seated on said seat, a spring urging said ball against said seat, a nipple threaded into one end of said bar against said spring, a hollow screw threaded into the other end of the bar, a tube slidable through said screw having a head in the bar for bottoming on said screw and a hose retaining portion extending beyond the screw, a flexible plunger cup slidable in said bar and carried by the head end of the tube, a pin extending through said partition between the ball and head end of the tube, a pressure gauge on one flat face of the bar having an entrance port bottomed on said face, said bar having a passageway connecting the space in the bar between the partition and cup with said port, a gasket surrounding said port, a U-shaped strap embracing said bar and having outturned flanges underlying said gauge, screws anchoring said flanges to said gauge for clamping the gauge on the bar and for loading said gasket to place the port and passageway in non-leaking relation, and a finger on said strap extending in front of the hollow screw to limit the unthreading thereof whereby threading of the hollow screw into the bar will move the tube into the bar for shifting the pinto unseat the ball for flow of fluid from the nipple through the tube while reverse rotation of the hollow screw will permit the ball to seat and subject the gauge to fluid pressure in the tube.

3. A valve and gauge assembly adapted for use in inflating tires which comprises a hollow bar having an apertured partition therein inwardly from both ends thereof, a resilient Washer bottomed on one side of said partition and surrounding the aperture to form a valve seat, a ball adapted to be seated on said seat, a spring urging said ball against said seat, a nipple threaded into one end of said bar against said spring, a hollow screw threaded into the other end of the bar, a tube 5 slidable through said screw having a head in the bar for bottoming on said screw and a hose-retaining portion extending beyond the screw, a pin extending through said partition between the ball and head end of the tube, a pressure gauge on one face of the bar having the entrance port bottomed on said face, said bar having a passageway connecting the space in the bar between the partition and said hollow screw with said port, a strap embracing said bar and having outturned flanges underlying said gauge, means for anchoring said flanges to said gauge for clamping the gauge on the bar to place the port and passageway in nonleaking relation, and a finger on said strap extending in front of the hollow screw to limit the unthreading thereof whereby threading of the hollow screw into the bar will move the tube into REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,369,555 Schweinert Feb. 22, 1921 1,503,068 Sladek July 29, 1924 1,834,033 Michelin Dec. 1, 1931 1,933,610 Wahl Nov. 7, 1933 

